Striking health-care workers back to work in N.B.

Striking health-care workers with the Canadian Union of Public Employees are complying with the province's back-to-work order, union leaders say.

The order announced by the justice minister on Friday impacts health-care workers in locals 1252, 1190 and 1251, which represent support staff in vaccination clinics and hospitals, and those providing laundry services to hospitals and nursing homes.

"They decided that they were going back to work this morning because it was an order," said Norma Robinson, the president of Local 1252. 

Robinson's local represents support staff and maintenance workers in hospitals, including over 2,000 who have been ordered back to work. 

The local has about 9,000 members in all, including 70 per cent who have already been working throughout the strike since they were deemed essential by the province. 

Over 200 laundry workers are also impacted by the order, in addition to 48 workers in the supply chain that supports hospitals. 

Any worker who fails to show up to work when scheduled could face fines ranging from $480 to $20,400 per day. Those encouraging workers to strike could also face fines. 

"In addition, CUPE will be fined a minimum of $100,000 for each day that a worker does not comply with the mandatory order," the province wrote in a statement issued Friday. 

Hospitals can assign non-bargaining employees, or contract the work elsewhere to ensure the continuation of services, if necessary, under the order, the statement added.

At a press conference Friday afternoon, the CEOs of the province's two health authorities said they asked for the order out of concern for patients, including many who have had urgent surgeries cancelled. 

By early afternoon on Saturday, both health authorities sent out press releases welcoming the workers back. The Vitalité Health Network said  the situation at hospitals is already improving — and over the coming days they'll work to increase hospital capacity for surgeries.

The order, which is separate from the existing COVID-19 mandatory order, applies only to striking workers in the health-care field. School staff, jail guards, court stenographers and others on strike are not affected and can continue strike action.

CUPE president Steve Drost said even though health-care workers are complying with the order, the union's lawyers are looking into how they could challenge it.

There's some possibility it might violate legislation in the province defining who is considered an essential worker during strike action, said Drost.